The British Library Reviews Summary

Facilities & Amenities

Pros:

• "Plenty of toilets & seats inside too. Staff are all helpful."
• "Membership is free."
• "There is a cafe and a restaurant inside the library which provide tasty and filling food."
• "There's also a cafe and restaurant here which makes everything more convenient."
• "There are also toilets and rest rooms and surprisingly soft two ply toilet paper for a comfy experience."
• "There are free water fountains and toilets on every floor."
• "Locker room to keep your stuff whilst in reading rooms. Registration is free. Very spacious with available space throughout the day."

Cons:

• "Most of them are always full."
• "Many sections have been closed off to the public and though there is an exhibition on the ground floor, it's a shame that not all of it is accessible in depth."
• "Unfortunately there is not much to see inside unless you are doing research and you're a member."
• "Why can't we access the restricted books area?"
• "The no coats rule was a bit questionable to me. the reading room got quite chilly."
• "Beverages of any kind are not allowed in the reading rooms as well as jackets and personal bags."
• "Toilets mostly don’t have hand dryers, just 'towel belts', and gender-neutral toilets are just repurposed accessible toilets — which aren’t all that accessible with two doors to get through to enter them."

Exhibitions & Collections

Pros:

• "They have an amazing exhibition on Animals right now, perfect for book nerds and animal lovers."
• "The special Fantasy exhibit was AMAZING."
• "The current exhibit includes the Magna Carta, religious texts, and maps."
• "Enjoying the original works of Shakespeare, the Beetles, seeing the Gutenberg Bible, surviving copies of the Magna Carta as well as letters written by historic Royal family and other historical figures."
• "Their 'Treasures' room was really interesting. The old manuscripts on display were jaw-dropping!!"
• "The Treasures exhibit is fantastic."
• "Treasures of the British Library exhibition in the Sir John Ritblat Gallery brings you up close to moments that changed the course of History."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately, you can't take photography in this particularly gallery, unlike you can in other areas of the British Library."
• "The HP section was a little disappointing."
• "They also routinely have interesting exhibitions, though the Paddington Bear one in autumn was a big disappointing in size and information."
• "The exhibition was interrupted with constant animal noises because of the theme."
• "It really didn't help the cause rather it created a dislike for the exhibition."
• "Bitterly disappointed! Came to see the Malorie Blackman exhibition with my daughter who is a huge fan and has been for many years... But, when we arrived, we were told that it was closed."
• "The free Treasures Exhibit was so cool."

Study & Work Environment

Pros:

• "One of the most sublime places to study."
• "If you need any inspiration to learn or study or read just go sit and relax in this library! It is an amazing environment!"
• "Being regular here, it is the perfect place for reading and working on you laptop (as soon as you get the library readers' card)."
• "Super impressed with the wifi speed; use to work here occasionally, it was always an issue. So happy it's sorted!"
• "Great free library. An inspiring and quiet place to study."
• "Aside from housing an incredible collection of literature and artefacts, this is a study and reading space with multiple tables and cabins setup across the halls on all floors."
• "Nice ambience for some quiet time."

Cons:

• "Although it's a library the staff/security aren't very quiet."
• "Usually a great place to do research, but major internet outages in July are making work here impossible."
• "Not the most peaceful of libraries as many people visiting and as the main part is open the noise reverberates."
• "The few seats available were cramped together and is not an ideal space to focus or study."
• "It is so frustrating to study here as because anyone can walk in it often gets too busy, to the point where people sit on the floor."
• "The library is absolutely beautiful, however if you plan to go to study and therefore need a desk to sit at, I'd suggest just going to a cafe somewhere instead."
• "They claim that wifi works, but it doesn't."

Staff & Security

Pros:

• "Guide was excellent - knowledgeable, engaging and entertaining."
• "I always have a good experience from the British Library. I come to look at medieval documents and the staff are always helpful."
• "Also, a special mention to the security staff who were accommodating when we thought we’d lost a phone in the exhibit."
• "The staff is great."
• "Wonderful staff, so helpful always."
• "What stands out most is that ALL the staff are genuinely friendly and helpful and a real credit to the library."
• "The staff were very knowledgeable and the whole process took less than 5 minutes."

Cons:

• "I'm not a big fan of the building's architecture."
• "I asked for some help at the reception desk and was told that I shouldn’t be in their library as I need to be doing a PhD or go to one of the top universities to be there."
• "The woman at the reader registration desk was incredibly rude, racist and dismissive, from her first remarks onwards."
• "Security staff in reading rooms tend to be unnecessarily rude and obnoxious, and other staff tend to be perplexed that newcomers don’t know how their system works."
• "The gentleman on Reception, the Security guard in one of the Reading rooms and staff in the cafe were all less than friendly."
• "Came here to study and was treated like a second class citizen by the staff."
• "I never encountered a more unfriendly, incompetent human than the young girl at the reader pass desk."

Accessibility & Inclusivity

Pros:

• "It's super modern and has everything you need for a productive study session."
• "The Reading Rooms are spacious and airy and the cafes do great (if v expensive) coffee and cakes."
• "The tour between the various galleries in the treasures room is particularly exciting."
• "The British Library is a huge, tranquil haven in the centre of a manic London."
• "There are plenty of tables for people to study."
• "The British Library is the perfect place to do your research and study in the quiet."
• "Interested in some history? You will find the Magna Carta here, amongst some other historical documents."

Cons:

• "Sadly a female family member felt incredibly unsafe in the 'gender neutral' bathroom."
• "I am confronted by racism, sexism, classism, and ablism."
• "They don’t allow suitcases or bags for the most part."
• "My friend asked a question about one the coffees name and the waitress was extremely disrespectful towards my hijabi friend."
• "There's nowhere to sit because people save seats with their bags and disappear."
• "You are not allowed in the actual libraries without a pass which I found silly."
• "I'm ambulant disabled with a replacement hip that prefers a lift instead of the forty (?) stairs to the bar and the twenty or so after that."